I don't care how big her lips are, I have to send some votes Lisa's way. She is really stepping up her game.

After weeks of seeing the level of spite in some of the comments on Lisa's lips, I've come to the conclusion that as nice as it would be for people to get past her lips, for some people it just won't even happen. Sometimes people can't turn off "petty" long enough to reason things out and laud her anyway.

Let's put the worst face on it. Say that Lisa is actually some incredibly vain person who has regular waves of delusion which cause her to go in for monthly and totally unnecessary lip injections. In this version of reality, she's got no relatives with big lips, no fairly obvious photos from early in her career which show she always had fairly sizable lips, no bad lipstick choices which make the problem seem even worse. She's just vain, delusional and setting a bad example for other wanna-be Soap stars out there watching.

This affects her dancing how?

Subjectively, I think it's obvious that Lisa has to be working harder than just about anyone. She's got another full time job. She's got a big family. No matter what, she's certainly vain enough to have to invest a lot of time preparing her physical appearance. And she's considerably older than Stacy and Drew, if not Jerry (who's about a year older than her).

And yet she's dancing like a 20 year old, albeit one with big lips. She improves week after week--which in a way makes her the most reliable contestant out there.

Her effort or talent or work ethic won't matter a bit if someone hates her lips, or her job, or her husband. Sometimes people pick emotionally, not logically. I'm at the point where I, at least, am realizing there's probably nothing to be done to change that.

The reverse is true too. Some people will vote for her only because she's a Soap star (just like some will only vote for Drew because they liked the music group he was in, or for Stacy because they like wrestling).

In other words, a huge portion of this has totally nothing to do with how they dance. It's sad, and inevitable, and true. The endless lip comments are just the darker side of it. Some people see the world in a way which is conducive to popularity contests, some use logic. Short of changing the thinking patterns of a good portion of humanity, there's little to be done for that.

After weeks of seeing the level of spite in some of the comments on Lisa's lips, I've come to the conclusion that as nice as it would be for people to get past her lips, for some people it just won't even happen. Sometimes people can't turn off "petty" long enough to reason things out and laud her anyway.

Let's put the worst face on it. Say that Lisa is actually some incredibly vain person who has regular waves of delusion which cause her to go in for monthly and totally unnecessary lip injections. In this version of reality, she's got no relatives with big lips, no fairly obvious photos from early in her career which show she always had fairly sizable lips, no bad lipstick choices which make the problem seem even worse. She's just vain, delusional and setting a bad example for other wanna-be Soap stars out there watching.

This affects her dancing how?

Subjectively, I think it's obvious that Lisa has to be working harder than just about anyone. She's got another full time job. She's got a big family. No matter what, she's certainly vain enough to have to invest a lot of time preparing her physical appearance. And she's considerably older than Stacy and Drew, if not Jerry (who's about a year older than her).

And yet she's dancing like a 20 year old, albeit one with big lips. She improves week after week--which in a way makes her the most reliable contestant out there.

Her effort or talent or work ethic won't matter a bit if someone hates her lips, or her job, or her husband. Sometimes people pick emotionally, not logically. I'm at the point where I, at least, am realizing there's probably nothing to be done to change that.

The reverse is true too. Some people will vote for her only because she's a Soap star (just like some will only vote for Drew because they liked the music group he was in, or for Stacy because they like wrestling).

In other words, a huge portion of this has totally nothing to do with how they dance. It's sad, and inevitable, and true. The endless lip comments are just the darker side of it. Some people see the world in a way which is conducive to popularity contests, some use logic. Short of changing the thinking patterns of a good portion of humanity, there's little to be done for that.

Okay a little off topic here, but this gets my vote for post of the week!

Stacy has the background and unfairly does not belong, however Lisa herself up before the show came on when she commented on not going into last years show said she also had dance experience that would give her a hand in the competiton. Jerry is the only one that is completely raw to dancing that is left and that is why I think it is unfair for him. Lisa said she had ballet, Jazz, etc and many many years of it as did Stacy.

Another thing tonight Anna commented on it's Blondie or something making it seem to me the music was chosen for them. Well when Louis was on Soaptalk Ty Treadway the cohost asked him who chose the song the Final Countdown and he commented that he was the head choreographer or something and that he picked it so does he get to pick everyone's songs also?

I think Lisa has been given way more by the show with them thinking she would be the biggest star of the show and she is seriously getting favoritism. I mean who knew Drew and Stacy would be so popular or Jerry Rice when Evander wasn't?

I think the judges are just afraid that Jerry will get through to the finals when the others are so much better as dancers. I've been a huge Jerry fan, but I agree with the judges. I hope this is his last week. Drew and Stacy have been consistently good, and Lisa has worked so hard and improved so much that she deserves to go to the finals.

I agree with your statement also. I was only able to get 4 votes thru to Lisa (out of 3 separate phone lines) plus the internet vote.

I agree with Krom's entire post and would like to second the nomination for Post of the Week.

I will third it! Krom said exactly what I have been thinking for weeks. The comments on Lisa's lips have nothing to do with whether or not she has been dancing well. I don't think she's as good as either Drew or Stacey, but I am certainly not appalled by her lips, which I tend to think are not enhanced.

Great show tonight but good grief.....Bruno has got to get his tongue back in his mouth over Stacey. She was great but neither dance tonight was her best performance and he just can't get past her sex appeal..it is becoming gross! She is very good but maybe she did peak to early. Her Samba was a hard act to follow though.

Len and Bruno's comments on Jerry were rude....and he put them back in their place with his! You are a winner Jerry even though you have likely come to the end in this competition you have shown the world that athletes can be graceful, charming and you have more class than either of thos guys...

Drew has been consistantly outstanding though out the entire competition and deserved 3 10's on the last dance... Len is ridiculous. He just had to find some way to keep him from topping Miss "Perfect" Stacey.
Nicks words brought tears to my eyes...what a sweet brotherhood love they have.

Loved Lisa's effort and was way cool seeing her in our home Rogue Valley setting at the "Crate" (Gingers Rogers Craterian Theatre). The shots of Historic Jacksonville and downtown Medford too ..wish I had known when they were in town. You made your hometown proud!!

Now Rinna has become a dancer
Soap star from Medford hopes to win on ABC’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’
By BUFFY POLLOCK
for the Mail Tribune
As an unassuming teenager in Medford, Lisa Rinna didn’t develop quite into the graceful ballerina she might have envisioned.

Tonight, however, she’s hoping she and her partner, Latin dance sensation Louis van Amstel, will rise to the top in ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars" competition as millions of viewers tune in to see four pairs whittled down to three.

A 1981 Medford High graduate, Rinna is known for her roles on "Days of our Lives" and "Melrose Place." Currently, she hosts the SoapNet talk show, "Soap Talk" and runs her own clothing boutique in the San Fernando Valley.

Now in its second edition, "Dancing with the Stars" partners celebrities with little or no dance experience alongside dance professionals. The current season kicked off the first week of January with 10 couples. Rinna has made the cut each week and ranked as a viewer favorite for the past two weeks.

She says she’s gotten as far as she has thanks to 6- and 7-hour days of learning new dances each week and thanks to friends, family and fans voting for her on the show’s Web site.

Her dance partner, van Amstel, is a well-known dancer, named champion of Severna international Latin dance competitions.

While she has tried her hand at everything from acting and modeling to opening her own clothing stores, dancing was never a possibility that crossed her mind, Rinna says.

"I was such a bad ballerina that I think my teacher, Mary Margaret (Mullen), finally said, ‘it might be time to try something else!’ " recalled Rinna with a laugh during a phone interview from California on Tuesday. "I just never thought dance would be a part of my life."

Rinna, who lives in California with her husband, actor Harry Hamlin, and two daughters, was offered a stint on the show’s first edition, and turned it down.

"They had asked her to do it this last year for the first season and her agent or manager advised her against it," said Rinna’s mother, Lois Rinna of Medford. "And her husband said, ‘You don’t want to do that. It’s a new show and nobody knows where it’s going.’

"Well it was obviously a huge success! So she ran into a producer for the show later and she told him, ‘I am such a loser for not going on your show!’ So they called her this year and she said, ‘Yes, yes, yes, I’ll do it!’ "

Rinna’s former teacher hardly remembers Rinna being anything other than enthusiastic and a pleasure to be around.

As to her dedication at ballet, "I think she was in love with someone at the moment. She was a senior in high school, in a beginning class with her best friend. She looked beautiful on stage. But she certainly didn’t work like she’s been working there," says retired dance instructor Mullen.

"I’m very, very proud of her. Gosh, she just looks like a million dollars. I’ve been watching every show … she was one of the little girls in the neighborhood. I watched her grow up."

Rinna, Mullen said, was clearly giving other contestants a run for their money. While the sole prize for the winning couple of "Dancing" is the title itself, Mullen hopes her former student comes out on top.

"She sure looks good to me," Mullen said. "But so does that blond, whatever her name is! They’ve all just worked like dogs and they certainly show it. It’s not easy to do. I guess Jerry Rice was the first to say so … she gave me 101 percent when she was in my class and she’s certainly made her way since then."

While talent accounts for half of competition results, audience feedback from the 18 million-plus estimated viewers makes up the other half.

Lois Rinna urged locals who remembered her daughter to call in and vote.

"She’s been second-highest the last two weeks, but call-ins make up a huge part of it," said the proud mother.

"We’ve got everyone we know watching and calling in for Lisa. We’re just having so much fun with this!"

The show airs today at 8 p.m. on ABC, giving phone numbers and Web address for voting. Results will air on Friday, with one couple being eliminated from the competition.

Part of today’s show will feature footage of Rinna and Amstel practicing dance moves on stage at the Craterian.

"It’s been absolutely great and I have the best partner on the show; but I’ve never worked harder in my life!" Rinna said.

"I think my chances are good to win. I’ve done great so far — my goal was to make it past the first round, which I did. I’m just really proud to be representing Medford and to know folks back home will be watching the show."

Does anyone else notice the fact that Carrie Ann is the only one finding fault with the women? Could she be jealous, hmmmmmmmmm?

Actually, I think she's the only one being realistic. She has given Stacy a score of ten in the past so she's obviously not out to get her, but the two men are embarrassing in their display of lust and excessive enthusiasm over her legs.

And I would just like to say that I 4th the "Post of the Week" nomination for Krom, and would be really happy to never have to read again on FORT people being disparaged for their looks.

I think the judges are trying to hard to be Simon. The comments the male judges made to Jerry were just rude. One week they praise them and the next week they tell them they don't deserve to be there!

I gave all my votes to Jerry, just because of the judges. I hope Lisa leaves this week and then Jerry can leave next week. The winner should be Drew because he has consistently been the better dancer, but, as someone said in an earlier post, the male judges both seem to be ga-ga over Stacy and can't objectively score either her or someone who may be better than her.

I think after the judges performance last night, I'm done with this show. Survivor will keep me entertained.